Method of repairing damaged fabric



I. KALLENBACH METHOD OF REPAIRING DAMAGED FABRIC Jan. 19, 1943.

Filed May 9, 1941 Zmnentor (Ittorneg Patented Jan. 19, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,308,760 METHOD OF REPAIRING DAMAGED FABRIC Irne Kallenbach, Dayton, Ohio Application May 9, 1941, Serial No. 392,649

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of repairing damaged fabric and more particularly to a method whereby a repair may be effected rapidly and hence economically.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a method of repairing damaged fabric which restores.damaged fabric to its original strength and appearance.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a method of repairing damaged fabric which may be easily and quickly learned.

It is well known that several methods of repairing damaged fabrics have been devised which methods have comprised either the inweaving of individual threads in a piece of damaged fabric. which method is slow and costly and therefore economically .impractical, and the method of disposing a patch of similar fabric over the damaged portion of the fabric to be repaired, fringing the edges of the said patch and weaving these fringed edges into the fabric itself in an area about the damaged portion of the fabric, thus, in effect, simply placing a patch over the damaged portion of the fabric. This method, while relatively simple, is objectionable in that the fabric itself is not repaired but merely patched and, further, in that as the patch must necessarily be placed upon the front of the material as the damaged portion of the fabric is left exposed on the back thereof, the patch necessarily is subject to undue strains and often becomes disengaged from the repaired material as the fringed edges may be readily pulled out of engagement with the fabric itself thus again exposing the damaged portion of the fabric. In order to overcome the objections of these methods of repairing or patching damaged fabrics, the present method has been devised which method not only insures an attractive and neat repair job but the manner of its accomplishment results in a repaired section of the fabric that is considerably stronger than the original undamaged fabric and is therefore not subject to failure as is the patching method heretofore mentioned.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the method of repairing damaged fabrics hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view of a section of fabric having a damaged or torn portion.

Figure 2 is a view of the section of the fabric illustrated in Figure 1 showing the edges of the torn or damaged portion of the fabric fringed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross sectional illustration taken on lines 3--3 of Figure 2 and shows of the fabric woven into the piece disposed therebeneath.

By referring to the drawing and Figures 1 and 2 in particular it will be seen that a damaged section of fabric H] has been illustrated, the damage comprising, a torn portion ll therein. In order to repair this torn portion and restore it to its former appearance and textile strength, the edges of the torn portion as illustratedin Figure 2 have been fringed, as indicated by the numeral I2, by the removal of certain component threads of the fabric with the actual result of increasing the size of the torn portion to a roughly square section as illustrated in Figure 2. A piece of similar fabric [3 matching the pattern or design is then disposed beneath the torn portion I l or rather on the back side of the damaged fabric In as illustrated in Figure 3, and arranged so that the pattern or design of the piece I3 matches the pattern or design of the fabric Ill. In this position the piece I3 is sewed to the edges of the torn portion ID, as indicated in Figure 3 by the numeral I4, and subsequently a latched needle, not shown, is inserted longitudinally through the piece I3 so as to follow a thread pattern therethrough and then extended upwardly and the latch of the needle engaged upon one of the threads comprising the fringed edges l2 of the damaged portion of the fabric ID. The needle, while grasping the thread of the fabric I0, is then withdrawn through the piece l3 with the result that the fringed edge I2 is interwoven into the piece I3. When all of the fringed edges l2 have been thus woven into the piece l3 as illustrated in Figure 4, the piece l3 has, in effect, become aligned with the front surface of the fabric l0 and to all intents and purposes has become an actual part thereof both as to appearance and structural quality. The interweaving of the fringed sections l2 through the piece l3 conceals the sewing which has previously aifixed the piece l3 to the edges of the torn porand the fabric in which has now been interwoven into it is stronger than the original fabric itself.

According to this invention, therefore, it is possible to repair cut, torn, bm'nt, or otherwise damaged fabric in a manner so as to insureper- .fect appearance of the repaired article on the front surface thereof, and further to effect the repair in a manner that makes the repaired pl' tion an actual portion of the fabric being repaired rather than merely a'patch the edges of which arezfringed thereto. It will be observed that in accordance with the invention the latch needle is preferably run through the repair piece in the direction of the weftor warp threads as necessary and thus when removed after having engaged one portion of the fringed edge of the damaged section of fabric the innerweaving takes place in strict accordance with the pattern and design of the fabric being repaired. If the fringed edges of the fabric II being interwoven into the piece I3 are longer than necessary to become adequately secured therein, the remain- The repair effected becomes. in effect, a portion of the fabric repaired and eflorts to dislodge the repair piece from the fabric repaired are unavailing as the criss-cross pattern of the inwoven fringed sections of the damaged fabric have the effect of making the repair piece stronger than the fabric itself. Thus'the repair-piece is not subject to accidental removalas is the case of repairs effected by other methods heretofore mentioned.

What I claim is: 1

1. The method of repairingdamaged fabrics comprising the fringing of the edges of the damaged portion of the fabric by the step consisting in fraying the damaged portion of the fabric by displacing the warp threads andthe weft threads so that they lie in loosely criss-cross overlying mg end sections maybe. easily clipped. It will thus beseen that a simple and very eflicient method of repairing damaged fabric has been devised whereby a piece of fabric used to eflect the repair actually becomes an integral part of the repaired fabric rather than merely a patch positionedover'a damaged place therein and, further, the damaged portion of the fabric being repaired is completely filled by the piece of material disposedtherein in a manner insuring a gsatisfactory appearing and wearing repair.

relation at the corners of the frayed area, disposing a repair piece of fabric adjacent the damaged portion in a manner so that the repair piece replaces the damaged portion, and weaving the fringed edges of the fabric in criss-cross manner into the repair piece in alignment with their original position in the [damaged fabric, the

fringed edges crossing one another in the repair piece.

2. The method of repairing damaged fabrics comprising the fringingof the edges of the damaged portion of the fabric by thestep consisting in fraying the damaged portion of'the fabric by displacing the warp threads'and' the weft threads so that they lie in loosely criss-cross overlying relation at the corners of the frayed area, disposing a repair piece of fabric adjacent the damaged portion in a manner so that the repair piece replaces the damaged portion, and weaving the fringed edges of the fabric in the criss-cross manner intothe repair piecein alignment with.

their original position in the damaged fabric, the fring'ed edges crossing one another in the repair piece, and stitching the repair piece to the damaged fabric.

" l KALLENBACH. 

